NGT Cracks Whip on Major Waste Generators, Slaps Hefty Fines

Boys pose for a selfie in front of the foam covering the polluted Yamuna river in New Delhi. Representative Image. Photo: Reuters

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday cracked the whip on major waste generators in the city, including 5-star hotels and banquet halls, slapping fines of as high as Rs 7 lakh each on some of them for not complying with the solid waste management rules.

The NGT also directed them to install sewage treatment plants (STPs) and anti-pollution devices within two weeks and asked them to ensure that STPs function properly on a regular basis. It listed the matter for hearing tomorrow.

The green panel had earlier issued notices to major waste generators in the city including 5-star hotels, malls, hospitals, educational institutions with hostels and housing societies which have not complied with Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.

It had issued notices to eight defaulting hotels and two hospitals in the area covered by the New Delhi Municipal Council, seven hotels, four malls, five hospitals, railway and bus stations under East Delhi Municipal Corporation besides several others in North and South Delhi Municipal Corporations.

The NGT order had come after it perused an interim report submitted by a committee set up by it which recommended action against defaulting bodies for improper management and treatment of sewage and lack of mechanism to recycle waste.

The tribunal had constituted the committee comprising representatives of the ministries of Environment and Urban Development, Director General of Health Services, Medical Council of India, DDA, municipal corporations, the Delhi government, Central Pollution Control Board, railways and Delhi Pollution Control Committee. It also had four independent experts.

It had directed the committee to inspect all five-star hotels, hospitals which have more than 200 beds, cooperative group housing societies with over 300 flats, markets, shopping malls with built up area of over 50,000 sq mts, colleges having hostel accommodating more than 500 students in Delhi.

The green panel had earlier directed the Delhi government to provide a list of all mass generators of waste, while noting that the problem of waste generation was being faced by the entire country and urgent steps were needed to be taken without "demur and default".

The green body had noted that Delhi generates nearly 14,100 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste per day and said that the mass generators of waste cannot be equated to a simple households generating trash.